Help please - Royal Jordanian to Bangkok - a good idea?
Apr 14, 2022, 11:55 am
#47
Join Date: Nov 2011
Programs: BA Gold Hilton Diamond
Posts: 289
BKK Avios booking via QR or BA
I was looking to use Avios to book a QR flight LHR-DOH-BKK. Both BA and QR are showing the same flights for 150,000 avios and £530 cash.
Are there any pros/cons booking with either BA or QR?
Are there any pros/cons booking with either BA or QR?
Apr 14, 2022, 7:38 pm
#48
Join Date: Apr 2008
Programs: Confirmed
Posts: 1,091
Finnair offer a solid business class product for a European carrier who maintained more of their inflight offering during Covid than BA they just don't offer all bells and whistle of the likes of Qatar.
Shorthaul they no longer offer a choice of main meal (which they justify based on environmental grounds) and dessert is usually a cookie but quality I would rate as better than BA (especially during Covid). Seating is standard European business class unless you travel on one of their long haul fleet which they use on selected shorthaul services.
The non Schengen business class lounge at Helsinki is a pleasant place to wait between flights, shower suites are a step up from what BA offer at Heathrow, food is a bit hit and miss, lounge lacks natural sunlight. The Schengen lounge if ok but gets very busy close to the grouped departure times which facilitate Finnair's hub business model. The Premium lounge for Emerald card holders is still closed due to Covid but when it is operational it is better than the First lounge at T5. Also if flying from Heathrow you get to use the Cathay Pacific lounges in terminal 3.
Helsinki connections are easy especially ex LHR as no need for security check in Helsinki. Even if a security check is required it is usually a quick process.
Their longhaul hard product is better than old club World with A350 seating on a par with Club Suite. They're upgrading their business cabins with a new seats which I haven't tried yet. The soft product is solid but not exceptional. Food generally OK but not class leading. They offer a few nice touches with their signature cocktails and glassware. Their amenity kits and bedding is average. I've always found their crew efficient and helpful.
Finnair are not up to the standards of Qatar, Cathay, Singapore etc but I would rate them higher than utilitarian. With relation the how they compare to RJ - Finnair seating longhaul fleet offers 1-2-1 instead of 2-2-2 and inflight entertainment in better. RJ catering is more old school, still using a trolley and plating meals in front of you to order rather than the modern reheating of a fixed meal on a plate. RJ catering is a nice touch for a change as it harks back to flying 25+ years ago. Not a big fan of the Crown lounge in Amman, when it's quiet it is a nice enough place to sit but food and drink is limited.
Shorthaul they no longer offer a choice of main meal (which they justify based on environmental grounds) and dessert is usually a cookie but quality I would rate as better than BA (especially during Covid). Seating is standard European business class unless you travel on one of their long haul fleet which they use on selected shorthaul services.
The non Schengen business class lounge at Helsinki is a pleasant place to wait between flights, shower suites are a step up from what BA offer at Heathrow, food is a bit hit and miss, lounge lacks natural sunlight. The Schengen lounge if ok but gets very busy close to the grouped departure times which facilitate Finnair's hub business model. The Premium lounge for Emerald card holders is still closed due to Covid but when it is operational it is better than the First lounge at T5. Also if flying from Heathrow you get to use the Cathay Pacific lounges in terminal 3.
Helsinki connections are easy especially ex LHR as no need for security check in Helsinki. Even if a security check is required it is usually a quick process.
Their longhaul hard product is better than old club World with A350 seating on a par with Club Suite. They're upgrading their business cabins with a new seats which I haven't tried yet. The soft product is solid but not exceptional. Food generally OK but not class leading. They offer a few nice touches with their signature cocktails and glassware. Their amenity kits and bedding is average. I've always found their crew efficient and helpful.
Finnair are not up to the standards of Qatar, Cathay, Singapore etc but I would rate them higher than utilitarian. With relation the how they compare to RJ - Finnair seating longhaul fleet offers 1-2-1 instead of 2-2-2 and inflight entertainment in better. RJ catering is more old school, still using a trolley and plating meals in front of you to order rather than the modern reheating of a fixed meal on a plate. RJ catering is a nice touch for a change as it harks back to flying 25+ years ago. Not a big fan of the Crown lounge in Amman, when it's quiet it is a nice enough place to sit but food and drink is limited.
Dec 22, 2022, 11:01 pm
#49
Join Date: May 2016
Programs: BAEC - Gold, IHG - Spire Ambassador
Posts: 575
We were pleasantly surprised. Flight to AMM was from T3 so a decent lounge safari before boarding. The service on board was quaint. PDB was a cup of strong cardamom flavoured coffee. Food was served from a trolley and you could have a bit of everything. The wine selection was poor. Movie selection was fine. Seats are side by side in pairs so easy for chatting. Bit close for comfort if you travelling on your own. Two hour layover and I enjoyed the lounge. Good selection of Middle Eastern food, barista manned coffee bar, pizza counter, ice cream station. Something for everyone really. On the long sector to BKK, the mattress given out was excellent. It was around an inch and a half thick and attached to the seat so didn’t move or bunch up if you wriggled about. Female cabin crew wore traditional Jordanian dress.
Departing BKK, the flight time was 00.20 so we ate in the JAL lounge and slept to AMM. Strangely the Qatar lounge was closed between 8 and 9.50pm so we didn’t bother with that. Longer layover on the return journey so chance for a shower. BUT you have to pay. I would be happy to fly this route again.
Dec 23, 2022, 1:03 am
#50
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: Executive Club: Gold - Flying Blue: Gold
Posts: 1,382
What did you decide? We had the same dilemma. No BA flights and the cheapest OneWorld was RJ. The only airline that was better value was Turkish Airlines but we ruled this out as no tier points. The next OneWorld was almost £1k more. £1k goes a long, long way in Thailand.
We were pleasantly surprised. Flight to AMM was from T3 so a decent lounge safari before boarding. The service on board was quaint. PDB was a cup of strong cardamom flavoured coffee. Food was served from a trolley and you could have a bit of everything. The wine selection was poor. Movie selection was fine. Seats are side by side in pairs so easy for chatting. Bit close for comfort if you travelling on your own. Two hour layover and I enjoyed the lounge. Good selection of Middle Eastern food, barista manned coffee bar, pizza counter, ice cream station. Something for everyone really. On the long sector to BKK, the mattress given out was excellent. It was around an inch and a half thick and attached to the seat so didn’t move or bunch up if you wriggled about. Female cabin crew wore traditional Jordanian dress.
Departing BKK, the flight time was 00.20 so we ate in the JAL lounge and slept to AMM. Strangely the Qatar lounge was closed between 8 and 9.50pm so we didn’t bother with that. Longer layover on the return journey so chance for a shower. BUT you have to pay. I would be happy to fly this route again.
We were pleasantly surprised. Flight to AMM was from T3 so a decent lounge safari before boarding. The service on board was quaint. PDB was a cup of strong cardamom flavoured coffee. Food was served from a trolley and you could have a bit of everything. The wine selection was poor. Movie selection was fine. Seats are side by side in pairs so easy for chatting. Bit close for comfort if you travelling on your own. Two hour layover and I enjoyed the lounge. Good selection of Middle Eastern food, barista manned coffee bar, pizza counter, ice cream station. Something for everyone really. On the long sector to BKK, the mattress given out was excellent. It was around an inch and a half thick and attached to the seat so didn’t move or bunch up if you wriggled about. Female cabin crew wore traditional Jordanian dress.
Departing BKK, the flight time was 00.20 so we ate in the JAL lounge and slept to AMM. Strangely the Qatar lounge was closed between 8 and 9.50pm so we didn’t bother with that. Longer layover on the return journey so chance for a shower. BUT you have to pay. I would be happy to fly this route again.